Moving is never easy but packing can be. With a little organisation you can make packing so much easier and quicker but what is the fastest way to pack a house for moving? These 10 top tips will help.
1. Fail to prepare, prepare to fail!
Write a ‘moving checklist’ so you can tick off everything you need to do as you do it.
This will make it so much easier to sure everything is in order before, during and after the move. It’ll also save you from wasting valuable time retracing your steps or rechecking something you are sure you have already done.
As part of your preparation, you should pack an ‘essentials’ bag with a change of clothes, toiletries, snacks and drinks and a phone charger. This will make sure you have instant access to the things you’ll need as soon as you arrive without having to root around in boxes or find the local shop.
2. Invest in the right equipment
Once you know what you need to do, buy all the right equipment. Once you are in the full swing of packing, you don’t want to have to run back and forward to the shops to source more boxes, more hangers or more roles of packing tape. You may also want to buy bubble wrap, labels and permanent markers so you have absolutely everything to hand.
It is also worth remembering that it is often more cost-effective to rent boxes so you may want to consider that option.
3. Start as early as possible
You will almost always know weeks if not months before you move. Use all that time to organise and begin the packing process so that when the time comes, you have as little to do as possible. This alone will make packing up your house faster.
4. Get lean
You should always have been through some sort of purge before you begin the physical process of moving. This will have an obvious benefit when it comes to packing. Packing less stuff takes less time!
You can also do some good when you get rid of unwanted items. Clothing and household items can go to charity. Unneeded food can go to food banks. Family and friends may be able to make use of those things at the back of your garage you’d long forgotten about, for example paints and fertilizers.
You could even make a few pounds by selling items on eBay or having a yard sale so your neighbours can have their pick of what you don’t need.
5. Don’t worry about sorting
Many movers think moving house is the perfect time to sort out all their belongings. It is much easier to do any sorting at the other end. Not only does this save time, sorting at the other end will also allow you to fit your possessions more efficiently into their new surroundings.
6. Split/assign tasks
There is a reason why factories have assembly lines … they are quicker and more efficient!
Try and give everyone involved their own task. One could be assembling boxes while another wraps items securely before the next person puts the prewrapped items in their boxes for the person loading the removal lorry.
7. Keep your clothes in their drawers
Instead of removing and packing your clothes, keep them where they are so they are already unpacked when you put the furniture into your new home.
8. Use linen and bedclothes as padding
Instead of packing your linen and bedclothes, use them to pack more fragile items and kill two birds with one stone.
9. Ask friends to help
Many hands make light work. However, asking your friends and neighbours to muck in also presents the perfect opportunity to thank them for their friendship and say goodbye properly. You could even organise some drinks or pizza afterwards to make a real event of it.
10. Always hire professional movers
They really do know what they’re doing and will make the whole process so much easier once you are packed. They are also professionally trained in lifting and carrying. The last thing you want is to start life in your new home with a bad back or muscular injury.
While we can’t help you with your packing, our experienced property team are here to make sure buying your new home is as easy as possible. If you’d like our help, please email me at Jeremy.Tulloch@collinshoy.com or call me on 0208 515 6600.